reflex264
Handloader
- Jun 13, 2007
- 290
- 189
Fellers, I finally got to start on a project today that has been in the works for a while with the 130 AccuBond in the .264 Win mag. Some of you already know that I do crop damage control kills on state permits which requires some long shots in the larger fields. After trying numerous cartridges and bullets for the job I settled on the .264 with 120gr Ballistic tip and have been very successful with it. Some of you may have seen my posts on other forums discussing how much flatter this rifle shoots than it it supposed to. It isn't a fluke and is completely repeatable. For various reasons I am working with the 130gr AccuBond now. In my plans to start using this gun on deer out to 800 yards I was hopeful that in the same spirit of the 120gr BT the real BC would exceed the advertised BC and give me more stability in my 1:8 twist barrel in the process. I was not prepared for today’s results and aside from needing a good head shrink need some professional explanation. I use a Weaver V-Tac scope on my rifle which includes a stadia and diamond reticle in the first focus plain. The stadia lines are two above and two below the diamond. The first one from the diamond is calibrated to be 3" from center at 100 yards and the second one is 9" from center. According to the chart I ran prior to shooting today 0@300 yards would be +3.2" at 100 yards so a simple matter of setting the impact on the first stadia above the diamond would put me -9.1 at 400 yards. pretty simple and I had already sighted it in this way so I fired for confirmation prior to heading to the 400 yard range. It was spot on. The load I was using averaged 3139fps with a ES of 10fps. Upon arrival at the field which is currently planted with cotton I had to reposition my target holder which made my actual range 411 yards measured with my laser. I went back to the shooting area and set up for the shot. Do to my heavy work schedule I had to use today for the experiment. 95 degrees. The heat devils in the scope were horrible. I cut back to 8X which kept the target visible and shot 3 shots. The 3rd shot I should have left alone because the heat added form the barrel along with the heat from the field blurred my target picture pretty bad. When we got to the target the first two shots were 12" above the center of my aiming point. I was using the first stadia below the diamond which should have put me 3" high at 400 yards and just a tick lower at 411. I refigured my math. It was right. We discussed it for a minute and decided to get a handle on it if the impact was correct to use the center diamond. By the computer it should have been 9.1" low at 400 but since the shots hit 12" high and the first stadia down is 3" 3X4 (for 400 yards) =12". If it really shot that flat it should do it again. In other words the gun is sighted in 0@300 and appeared to repeat impact at 411 yards. Before you say anything I know it is impossible, err maybe, still scratching my head. Trying to overcome the heat from the field I cut the scope back to 6.5X. I know that doesn't sound like enough magnification but with the super fine reticle and the hollow diamond I could see it clearly. Here we go, cold barrel and turned the scope down. Pow. The picture explains it. I know this is inconclusive until I can get a cooler day to fire more shots but two in a row with the stadia change is mind boggling. I have been trying to make this come out with ballistic software and no luck. This is nearly identical the behavior that I get out of the 120 BT which has been proven and repeated over and over. Yall boys explain it. 
reflex264
reflex264
